What should you do if the prospect of five more years of Conservative government makes you feel sick but you don’t want Jeremy Corbyn to be prime minister?

That’s the question that is a frequent topic of conversation at Westminster, particularly among Labour MPs of a New Labourish persuasion. Although some are open to the idea of splitting away, most are opposed, though there is a small but influential cadre of New Labour alumni who are willing to bend their ears about the benefits of a split. One of those privately and publicly advocating for some kind of new party is Philip Collins , formerly Tony Blair’s speechwriter and now ensconced at the Times as a columnist .